COPD decisions — 2021

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for external hemorrhoids, right foot disability, and COPD. The claim for increased rating of irritable bowel syndrome was also denied.

The Veteran's service-connected pulmonary disease is rated at 100% effective November 10, 2020. The Board also granted a TDIU from April 23, 2019 to November 10, 2020.

The Veteran's respiratory disorder, including COPD and asthma, is not service connected. Service connection for OSA was denied. An effective date of October 17, 2007, but no earlier, has been granted for the award of service connection for essential tremor.

The Board has denied service connection for atrial fibrillation, COPD, and a disorder characterized by spondylosis. The evidence does not support that these conditions are related to the Veteran's military service or herbicide exposure.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of any current respiratory disorder diagnosed during the appeal period, including COPD and bronchitis.

The Veteran's COPD is granted as service connected, with the Board finding that it is at least as likely as not related to his military service.

The Board has decided that the VA examination did not address the Veteran's claims regarding exposure to diesel fumes and thus a new examination is needed to determine if his respiratory disabilities are related to service, including exposure to asbestos and diesel fumes.

Service connection for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is granted. A 70 percent rating, but not higher, for PTSD prior to November 15, 2010, is granted. Entitlement to a rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD as of after November 15, 2010, is denied. The Veteran's claim for hypertension exposure is remanded. TDIU claim is also remanded.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection and rating for chronic bronchitis with COPD and collapsed lung is denied. The earliest effective date for the award of service connection is January 15, 2017.

The Board denied service connection for COPD and esophageal cancer, both claimed to be due to asbestos exposure in service. The Veteran's current diagnoses were not found to have begun during service or be related to her service.,Service connection was also denied for hypertension, which the Veteran contends is related to an acquired psychiatric disability. The Board found no diagnosis of hypertension and thus could not grant service connection.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for COPD and special monthly compensation based on aid and attendance/housebound status, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between the claimed conditions and service. The Veteran had COPD but no in-service event or disease related to it. There was also no exposure to asbestos during service. The Board found that the Veteran did not require regular aid and assistance due to his service-connected disabilities (hearing loss and tinnitus) and thus, SMC based on need for aid and attendance was denied.

The Board denied service connection for COPD and essential tremors, finding that the evidence did not support a relationship to service or exposure.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection on multiple conditions have been dismissed due to his death.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for COPD, finding that there was no evidence of a link between his in-service exposure to herbicide agents and his current condition. The Board also found that the Veteran did not have continuity of symptoms since service.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development due to insufficient opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's service-connected disabilities and his claimed conditions, specifically sleep apnea, COPD, and chronic fatigue syndrome.

The Veteran's asbestosis, asthma, and COPD are not currently manifested by the required criteria for a higher rating. The Board has remanded this issue due to conflicting medical opinions regarding the need for outpatient oxygen therapy.

The Board denied service connection for COPD, finding no relationship between the condition and active service. The claim was not supported by medical evidence linking COPD to Agent Orange exposure or service-connected conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for pleural calcification due to asbestos exposure, but denied service connection for COPD due to asbestos exposure. The COPD claim is based on the Veteran's smoking history rather than his military service.

The decedent's service was not considered active duty, and he did not meet the eligibility criteria for burial in a VA national cemetery.

The Board has granted service connection for spontaneous pneumothorax but denied service connection for COPD with interstitial lung disease.